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Are You Fan Enough? Is too much of a good thing a great thing? Omaha eaters put their stomachs to the test with these local food challenges. by Sara Locke
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ebraska is more than simply nice. We are utterly abundant. What better way to experience that abundance than through MASS CONSUMPTION? Food challenges are more fun to watch than to participate in, and it is this voyeuristic sickness that brings you this month’s article. The difference between the food challenges in Omaha and those in several other places I’ve visited is the foods you are expected to eat in gargantuan proportion here are generally truly appetizing. It’s not simply a mass quantity of food; it’s a ridiculous amount of food you’ll be happy to take home after humiliating yourself with public failure.
And so, in no particular order, we bring you some of Omaha’s favorite food challenges.
Porkasaurus Challenge
vy with your choice of three silver-dollar pancakes or two slices of buttered toast. (Ragged deep breath.) The meal weighs a whopping 3 lbs. 0.7 ounces and must be finished in one sitting. An episode of Man v. Food featured the challenge in 2019.
Where: Bailey’s Breakfast and Lunch | 1259 S. 120th St., Omaha
Prize for Completion: T-shirt and a photo on the wall of fame.
What: In 30 minutes or less, you’ll have to finish: two strips of thick-cut bacon, one sausage patty, two sausage links, one piece of quartered andouille sausage, one ham steak, six rashers of Canadian bacon, three eggs and a stack of home fries covered in grilled onions and cheddar and jack cheeses served beside biscuits and sausage gra-
Challenge Level: Novice. This is one of the more achievable items on our list today, but not one those with blood pressure or heart conditions should attempt!
Stellanator Where: Stella’s Bar & Grill 106 S. Galvan Rd, Bellevue What: You’ll have 45 minutes to stomach six burger patties, six fried eggs, six pieces of cheese, 12 rashers of bacon, along with lettuce, tomato, fried onions (but, like, a LOT of fried onions) pickles, jalapenos and peanut butter between two buns with a generous portion of fries.
One of the most obtainable challenges on our list, the Porkasaurus, is no slouch. Jules Winnfield would not approve. Photo credit: Bailey’s Breakfast and Lunch.
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February 2020
Prize for Completion: While those who fail will shell out $35 for the behemoth mouthful, anyone who can come in under the buzzer has
their meal (or what would account for six meals for any normal human) comped, a T-shirt declaring their victory and a photo on the wall of fame. Fame doesn’t elude the losers, however, and their pictures adorn the adjacent wall of shame where they can be booed at on the regular. Challenge Level: Intermediate. While the expert eater will believe this is a breeze, 20 minutes in most will be in way over their heads. As the food begins to cool and, dare we say, congeal, none of it slides down quite as easily. To those with the stomach for this mission, it has become a battle of the quickest, with one contender defeating the meat in only three minutes and 40 seconds!
The Big Joe Where: Frank’s Pizzeria 711 N. 132nd St., Omaha What: Choose your fighter! You and a friend have 60 minutes to crush 12 pounds of pizza. You heard right; the pizza is measured in pounds. That means that while you can choose your own toppings, leaving off mushrooms
